A Bastrop County homeowner with the county’s median taxable homestead value of $290,103 would owe an estimated $1,321.13—$77.46 more—under the county’s adopted fiscal year 2026-27 tax rate.

By the numbers: The increase comes after Bastrop County Commissioners Court on Sept. 14 adopted a total property tax rate of $0.4554 per $100 valuation, which is the maximum rate the county could adopt without requiring voter approval at an election.

The bottom line: The rate is about 6.22% higher than in FY 2025-26, and will fund the county’s upcoming budget year. County documents show the budget is expected to generate about $6.24 million more in property tax revenue than the previous year’s budget—a 9.56% increase.

Something to note: The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Republican incumbent Stan Gerdes and Democratic candidate Mary Klenz will face off in the Nov. 3 election for State Representative, District 17.

How we got here: In the March 3 primary election, Gerdes defeated challenger Tom Glass with about 61% of the vote.

Democratic candidate Mary Klenz secured about 60% of the vote against her two primary challengers, Frank Gomez III and Robert Salter.

How it works: Community Impact's goal with election Q&As is to provide a side-by-side, equitable resource for Bastrop County voters to review candidates' perspectives before they head to the polls.

Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents.

Check out the latest transportation project updates across the Austin metro.

Austin Transit Partnership approves lease for new downtown office: The ATP board approved a $13.5 million agreement to lease office space for 48 months at 203 Colorado St.—the agency's current office—as well as space next door at 201 Colorado St. Officials said this will help as the agency anticipates growing as Project Connect plans move forward.

Blakey Lane plan advances with Jessica Place connection: Bastrop is moving ahead with a Blakey Lane extension intended to connect the Sendero and Burleson Crossing shopping areas with businesses to the east. The plan has drawn opposition from Riverside Grove residents over opening a subdivision street called Jessica Place to through traffic.

State invests approximately $1.5B in Austin-area roadway improvements: Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Transportation recently announced a 10-year transportation plan that will invest almost $140 billion in roadway improvements across the state. The funding includes $95 billion for projects across the state and $43 billion for development and routine maintenance.

PLEASE FILL

Three candidates are running to lead the Texas General Land Office in the Nov. 3 election.

The overview: Democrat Benjamin Flores and Libertarian Neill Snider are challenging Republican incumbent Dawn Buckingham for the seat.

Buckingham ran uncontested in the March Republican primary, Community Impact reported, while Flores won the Democratic primary. Snider was selected as the Texas Libertarian Party's candidate during an April nominating convention.

The context: The state land commissioner manages 13 million acres of state lands, with duties such as allocating disaster recovery funds, leasing state lands to generate revenue for the Texas Permanent School Fund, preserving state landmarks such as The Alamo and overseeing several veterans programs.

Looking ahead: Early voting runs from Oct. 19-30 in the midterm election, and Election Day is Nov. 3.